Vajpayee Likely To Continue As NDA Chairman

The new BJP dispensation under party president Nitin Gadkari is likely to continue with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Chairman of NDA and adopt an "accomodative approach" towards out-going senior office-bearers at the Centre and in states by giving them other responsibilities.

Sources said though the new post of Chairman, BJP Parliamentary Party was constituted recently to accomodate L K Advani and bring in a generational shift with Sushma Swaraj as Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, NDA partners and a section of the BJP is not ready to remove Vajpayee from post of NDA Chairman and replace him with Advani.

Such a step would be read as sidelining Vajpayee and only bring bad press and criticism for BJP, say sources.

Swaraj has already been given possession of the office occupied by Advani in Parliament as Leader of Opposition. Now, since Vajpayee will continue to have the office of Chairman, NDA, BJP is trying to find a way out to get an office for Advani.

Gadkari, who is adopting an accomodative approach to take along warring factions within the party, has been setting broad parameters for solving specific problems which have been festering for sometime.

"In Rajasthan, Gadkari and his team decided that Vasundhara Raje should be given a post in the Central leadership, while the other faction can work in the state. Even these changes will come about only in second week of February," a senior leader said. PTI